Uncle Wally
by slincoln
Summary: A Rambaldi prophecy implicates Sydney Bristow's childhood neighbors. But they were just travel agents, weren't they?


**Uncle Wally**

by

Sam Lincoln

Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to their respective rights holders.

Summary: A Rambaldi prophecy implicates Sydney Bristow's childhood neighbors. But they were just travel agents, weren't they?

Spoilers: This story takes place during the later half of the second season of Alias and was written before the start of season five of The Americans.

 **-Bratislava, Slovakia**

Sydney Bristow flattened herself against the wall of an alley on the outskirts of Bratislava's old town. Bullets whistled through the air and impacted against the wall opposite her.

Sydney toggled on her radio. "Boy Scout, this is Mountaineer. I am under fire."

Back in the Los Angeles command center Michael Vaughn turned on his headset. "I read you loud and clear Mountaineer. Is Canary safe and do you have the package?"

Sydney glanced behind at the woman dressed in a tattered evening gown. "Canary is safe, but we do not have the package."

Vaughn muttered a curse then snapped his fingers at Weiss. "Roger that Mountaineer. We're working on finding you a path to a safe house. Do you think you can make it there?"

Sydney flinched as another round of bullets sailed past her. "I don't really have much of a choice in the matter do I?" She leaned out from around her cover and fired several shots from her pistol to slow down the advance of the mercenaries moving in on her.

"We have a response team en route from the safe house, but they won't get to your position in time. You have to meet them half way."

"Copy that," Sydney replied as she toggled off her radio. Her phone buzzed and she glanced down at it. A set of GPS coordinates were displayed on the screen. She looked back at the woman behind her. "When I tell you to, run like hell down the street. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you. Can you do that for me?"

Paige Jennings's face settled into a determined glare and she nodded her head. "I can."

Sydney returned the nod. "Alright then on three, three, two, one, go!"

Sydney spun out from the safety of the alleyway and fired at her attackers, causing them to duck for cover. Paige used the opening to run for safety. After Sydney emptied her magazine she turned and followed Paige down the street.

"Turn right!" Sydney shouted to Paige who followed Sydney's instructions and ran down a side street. As Sydney turned down the side street she toggled on her radio. "Boy Scout where the hell is that response team?"

Vaughn leaned over his console and stared at the feed of the surveillance satellite tracking Sydney "You're almost there Mountaineer. It's a white van and Dixon is with them. They're one block out"

"They had better be," Sydney told Vaughn as bullets whistled past her head.

As they approached the end of the block a white van came screeching to a stop in front of Paige. The side door slid open and Marcus Dixon stepped out holding an assault rifle. "Get in, Get in!" he yelled at Paige and Sydney. He fired the rifle at the approaching mercenaries, holding them off.

"Get in, get in!" Sydney yelled at Paige. Paige leapt into the van with Sydney close behind. Dixon swung into the van closing the door behind him and they sped away from the mercenaries.

Sydney looked over at Paige. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, but they have the manuscript, what are we going to do now?"

Sydney slid into a seated position on the van floor. "We'll figure it out when we get to the safe house."

 **-Los Angeles, 72 hours earlier**

Sydney walked into the briefing room in the CIA operations center and found Assistant Director Kendall and Michael Vaughn already in the room. "Sorry I'm late," Sydney said as she sat down at the table across from Vaughn.

"Good morning Agent Bristow," Kendall said. If Sydney's tardiness bothered him, he did not show it. He pushed a button on the remote control in front of him and the display on the other end of the room flared to life with the picture of a man and woman.

Sydney stared at the picture. The man had curly hair, a receding hairline, and a slightly pinched face. The woman had long straight brunette hair and a piercing gaze to go along with her beautiful features. "Who are they?" Sydney asked. She frowned as a memory tugged at her.

"You are looking at Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings," Kendall said. "Two of the KGB's most successful field agents."

"They look familiar," Sydney said.

"That's because we lived in the same Fall's Church neighborhood for a a short while before your mother faked her death," Jack Bristow said as he entered the briefing room.

"You mean they were…" Vaughn started to say.

"They were with Directorate S," Kendall said. "KGB agents posing as American citizens, over a twenty year career the Jennings penetrated the most sensitive parts of our government. Their boldest operations included flipping the secretary of the head of the FBI's counter-intelligence unit, planting a bug in the FBI headquarters, and even bugging the home office of the Secretary of Defense."

"And those are just the operations that we know of," Jack said.

"While I appreciate the history lesson, what does this have to do with us?" Vaughn asked.

"We believe that shortly before she faked her death Irina Derevko passed along Rambaldi secrets to the Jennings," Kendall said. "Secrets that Derevko is now moving to reacquire."

"What happened to them? The Jennings I mean," Sydney asked. "Can we ask them what Irina told them?"

"That's the trouble, nobody knows where they are," Kendall said. "They vanished ahead of an FBI raid and haven't been seen or heard from since."

"How did we manage to find them if they were so good?" Vaughn asked.

"One of the FBI agents in counter-intelligence unit, Stan Beeman, received a tip from the Jennings's daughter. She claimed her parents tried to recruit her to spy for them. By complete coincidence Beeman lived across the street from them."

Vaughn leaned back in his chair. "Their daughter?"

"That's right," Sydney said. "They had two kids, I remember that now."

"Directorate S was very thorough," Jack said. "A married couple with children is almost completely invisible to counter espionage."

"What happened to the children?" Sydney asked.

"The daughter, Paige, was already in college at the time. The younger son, Henry, was taken in by Agent Beeman until he graduated from high school. As near as we know the children did not know the truth about their parents' true identities growing up."

Sydney cocked her head to one side. "You don't sound convinced about that sir."

Kendall shrugged his shoulders. "Beeman always suspected that the daughter knew more than she let on, but we had no proof to support it so we decided not to push the issue."

"Turning in your parents is a good way to prove your loyalty," Vaughn said.

"I would agree if she ever applied for a security clearance, but she never has. We keep tabs on her but she, and her brother, are not considered security risks **."**

"What about Agent Beeman?" Vaughn asked. "Maybe he has an idea where to look for the Jennings."

"Unfortunately, Special Agent Beeman died in 2000, heart attack," Kendall said. "Counter intelligence doesn't promote a very healthy lifestyle."

"So what are we going to do?" Sydney asked.

Kendall picked up a folder from the table and slid it over to Sydney. "I need you to go to New York and speak to Paige Jennings. Find out what she knows about her parents, then report back with what she tells you."

Sydney picked up the folder. "And if she doesn't tell me anything?"

"In that case tell me that. Then I will have the Science Division use more invasive measures to get the information we need from her," Kendall said. "I don't particularly care how willing she is to share her secrets. I just want to know them."

Sydney nodded her head. "I understand sir."

"Good. Vaughn, you run support from here, not that Sydney will need it, but better safe than sorry."

"Certainly sir," Vaughn said.

Kendall pushed himself up from the table. "Then let's get to it." He strode out of the conference room leaving Jack, Sydney and Vaughn behind.

"Are you going to be okay with this Syd?" Vaughn asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Sydney replied. Jack leaned back and steepled his fingers. "You mean because we both have parents who lied to use about who they really are?" Sydney glared at Jack.

"There are obviously parallels, but both of the Jennings were Soviet spies, and I would argue, self-servingly I admit, that their deception was far worse than anything I might have done to you."

"Did you know?" Sydney asked.

"Did I know the travel agents who lived in our neighborhood, and I only met a handful of times were Soviet spies? Of course not."

"But Irina did."

"She had to, it was probably why she suggested we move there."

Vaughn frowned at he stared at the photo of the Jennings. "Do you think they are still working with Derevko?"

"I would be surprised, but she has plenty of other KGB agents working for her, so it is possible," Jack said.

"The more pressing question is what is the Rambaldi artifact we are trying to find, and what does Paige Jennings have to do with it?" Sydney asked.

Jack shrugged. "We don't know, just that it was something Irina found while she was still undercover as Laura Bristow."

"So she knows what it is, and possibly where it is," Sydney said with a sigh.

"Precisely," Jack said. "So we do not have a moment to lose."

"I'll go pack my bag," Sydney said. She stood up from the table and walked out of the conference room.

 **-New York City**

Sydney walked up the stairs towards Paige Jennings's apartment in a rundown apartment building. She walked down the quiet hallway and came to a stop in front of a green painted door. Sydney took a deep breath, then knocked on the door. When there was no response she knocked again.

"Who's there?" Sydney heard a soft voice ask from the other side of the door.

"Paige Jennings, my name is Sydney Bristow. I would like to talk to you," Sydney answered. She looked up and down the hallway to make sure no one was listening in on her.

"And what if I don't want to talk to you?"

"You don't even know what I want to talk to you about," Sydney replied.

"That suit you're wearing, the way you carry yourself. I have a pretty good idea. You work for them don't you?"

"Which them are you referring to?"

The door swung open and Sydney found herself face to face with Paige Jennings. She was a head shorter than Sydney with brunette hair cut short. Her delicate features were set in a determined glare that she directed at Sydney. "You are with the government, it doesn't matter which. I'm not interested"

Sydney nodded her head. "Okay, that's true, I'm with the government, but I also need to talk to you and I am willing to stand in this hallway until that happens. Do you really want your neighbors wondering what a government agent is doing on your doorstep?"

Paige's mouth tightened into a thin line, but she stepped aside to let Sydney into the apartment. "That's low to threaten me like that."

"And I'm so sorry for that, but it really is in your best interest. You see, you are going to speak with us whether you want to or not, and trust me when I say my way is much more pleasant."

"And who is this we you're referring to?"

Sydney looked Paige in the eyes. "I work for the CIA."

Paige threw up her hands. "Of course you do. I don't know anything that you would be interested in, but let's get this over with." Paige motioned for Sydney to follow her and she walked further into the apartment. Sydney was struck by how sparse and impersonal the apartment was. All of the art on the walls looked like it came with the frame, and she could not see any personal photographs of any kind. Paige lead Sydney into a small dining room and pulled out one of the chairs for Sydney to sit in.

"As I said, my name is Sydney Bristow," Sydney started to say.

"Why does that sound familiar?" Paige asked. She sat down in a chair opposite Sydney.

"Because we've met before, a very long time ago," Sydney said. "Back when we were both children."

"You were the little girl whose mother died in the car accident. You moved away shortly after that," Paige said. "And now you work for the CIA." Her eyes narrowed. "That isn't a coincidence is it?"

"Not entirely a coincidence, no," Sydney said with a shake of her head. "My mother's name, her real name, is Irina Derevko, not Laura Bristow. Yes, that means exactly what you're thinking."

"So she was a Russian spy like my parents?"

Sydney nodded her head. "She worked for Directorate S."

"That's what it was called, Directorate S?" Paige asked. "They never went into those specifics with me." She frowned. "Wait, you said your mother's name is. I thought she died years ago."

Sydney pressed her mouth into a tight line and looked down at her feet before speaking. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but Irina Derevko faked her death and went rogue. She is currently in charge of a criminal organization that a joint CIA/FBI task force is working to dismantle. A task force that I work for."

"And I thought my life was messed up," Paige said.

"You don't know the half of it," Sydney replied.

"But what does this have to do with my parents? Are they working for your mother? Have you found them?" Paige started to stand up.

Sydney reached across the table and put a hand on Paige's arm. "No, there's been no sign of your parents since they ran out ahead of the FBI raid. Before my mother faked her death she passed along information to your parents. We need to know where they hid it."

"How would I know that?" Paige asked as she settled back into her seat.

"That's right, as soon as you learned the truth about your parents you went to your neighbor Stan Beeman and told him everything."

Paige leaned back in her seat. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That it is highly convenient that your parents were only exposed after the USSR collapsed. Or was it that they were tired of the life?" Sydney cocked her head to one side. "If it makes it any easier for you we don't care about what happened in the Eighties."

"Isn't that why you're here in the first place?"

Sydney flashed Paige a tight smile. "Touche, let me put it this way. Neither the CIA or the FBI cares if you helped your parents escape from the KGB. We are far more interested in what my mother gave them. If it helps you can think of this as my offering you immunity for anything you might have done."

Paige sighed. "Alright, yes, I knew the truth about them years before, but not that early. I honestly have no idea what it could have been or where it might be."

"But they taught you tradecraft right? Where their drop boxes and safe houses were located."

"A little," Paige said with a shrug. "They mostly wanted me to know who they really were, not that they wanted me to work for them." She paused and thought. "But they did show me a few places. They were all in our old home though so I have no idea if they are still there."

"We can go find out," Sydney said.

"What, you want me to go with you?" Paige asked. "I thought you just wanted to talk to me."

"We'd just be going to your old house," Sydney said. "It's not like it's a foreign country. And who knows, it might be good for you. Help you get some closure with your past."

"I don't need closure. My parents did horrible things, and yes in the end I helped them escape paying for their crimes. I'm not proud of that fact, but I am content with my decision."

"If that's true then why have you lived such an invisible life since then? Your middle management job, this completely anonymous apartment, when was the last time you talked to your brother?"

Paige's face twisted into a frown. "Doing this, going with you to search my old home. That would be helpful in stopping the bad people?"

Sydney reached across the table and took Paige's hand in hers. "I promise you Paige, doing this will help save lives."

Paige looked down at Sydney's hand. "It's funny, that's what my parents always told me they were doing too."

"I suppose they would have thought that, but you have to believe me, this is different." She and Paige locked eyes and stared at each other for a long moment.

Paige raised her free hand, and after a moment's hesitation, placed it on top of Sydney's. "When do we leave?"

"Are you crazy?" Vaughn asked Sydney over the phone as she walked down the hallway to her hotel room. "You weren't supposed to offer to take Paige Jennings anywhere."

"Oh settle down Vaughn," Sydney said as she entered her hotel room and released her hair from the pony tail she had been holding it in. "I'm taking her to Virginia, not Moscow. Besides, I think the trip will do her some good."

"Syd, we are the CIA, not some sort of therapy program for the children of spies," Vaughn said. Weiss started to walk toward's Vaughn's desk but he waved him off.

"I am well aware of that, it's just…" Sydney's voice trailed off as she fell backwards onto her bed.

"She reminds you of you, I get that Syd," Vaughn said. "Do you really think that having her there will help you find the Rambaldi information Derevko gave the Jennings?"

"I do Michael. We can cover more ground if she's there with me, and I seem to recall Kendall telling us that we were under a time crunch."

Sydney could hear Vaughn sigh on the other end of the line. "Okay fine, you win, but be careful. She might know things a regular civilian wouldn't, but that doesn't mean she has a security clearance."

"Relax Vaughn, I'll only tell her what she need to know, and nothing about Rambaldi."

"In that case enjoy Virginia with your new friend."

 **-Fall's Church, VA**

"There it is," Paige told Sydney as they drove down the street past her old home. "It looks like someone is living there."

"I'll park further down the block and we can walk back. There's no sense in raising any suspicions with the car parked out front."

Sydney drove the rented sedan around the block and parked in front of an empty lot. They got out of the car and started their return to the house. "This is a lovely neighborhood," Sydney said to Paige. "You must have enjoyed growing up here. I was too young to really remember much of it."

"I did, until."

"Until you learned the truth about your parents." Sydney nodded her head. "That must have been hard on you."

Paige gave a short laugh. "It wasn't easy that's for sure. Even before they told me I knew that they were hiding things from me, but I thought it was something normal, like they were going to get divorced. How did you react when you learned the truth about your mother?"

"At the time I was strapped to a chair about to be tortured by her," Sydney said. "All things considered I think I took it well." She looked over at Paige who was staring at her in shock. "I would say more, but it's classified. Suffice to say my mother is not a nice person." Paige nodded her head, but did not say anything in reply.

They continued on until they reached Paige's old house. "I haven't been back here since the day they left," Paige said as they stood in front of the house.

"Who says you can never go back home again?" Sydney asked. "I don't see any cars in the driveway so hopefully no one's home." Sydney walked up to the front door and knocked three times. When there was no response she reached into the pocket of her jacket and removed a small device that she attached to the door.

"What's that?" Paige asked.

"Something to jam any alarm system that might be installed," Sydney said. "Keep your eyes out to make sure no one sees us." Sydney removed a set of lock picks from her jacket and set to work opening the door. The lock clicked and the door swung open. Sydney tapped Paige on the arm and they walked into the house.

Paige stopped as they entered the front hallway. She looked around the room taking in all the changes. "This is so strange," she said. "It's my house, but everything is wrong."

"Where were those hiding spots you talked about?" Sydney asked.

"In the laundry room," Paige said. "It's this way." Paige lead Sydney through the house, past mementos of another family's life and into the laundry room. "They updated the washer and dryer," Paige said.

"Is that a problem?" Sydney asked.

"No, the safe is behind the fuse box, assuming Mr. Beeman, or anyone else, didn't find it when they searched the house."

Sydney reached into the other pocket of her jacket and withdrew a small camera. She took a picture of the fusebox then turned on her radio. "Marshall are you there?"

Back in his workshop in LA Marshall Flinkman stood up and un-muted his speakerphone. "I'm here Sydney. What do you need?"

"I'm sending you a picture. I need a full analysis done on it." Sydney tapped a button on the camera and the data was transmitted to Marhsall's workstation.

Marshall typed on his keyboard and stared at the picture that appeared on his monitor. "Oh wow, and old KGB safe, what museum are you in?"

"Focus Marshall." Sydney looked over at Paige and smiled apologetically. "Can you tell if there's anything in the safe?"

Marshall scratched his chin. "You don't really get that sort of detail with that camera. It's more designed to locate hidden spaces, not see what's inside them."

"Thank-you Marshall," Sydney said, cutting him off mid ramble. "Any suggestions how to open it?" She asked the tech.

"I can do that," Paige said. She walked over to the fuse box and performed the unlocking sequence causing the panel to swing open.

"Never mind Marshall, we have it covered. Thank-you for your help. I'll be in touch if I need anything else." Sydney switched off her radio before Marshall had a chance to reply.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Paige asked.

"That was Marshall, my resident tech genius. There's nothing he can't figure out. He's a great guy, I've known him since…" Sydney caught herself before she said SD-6. "Well, a long time."

"Let me guess, that's also classified?" Paige asked.

"It comes with the territory," Sydney replied. "I'm not purposefully keeping secrets from you. Well, I mean I am, but it's not personal." She shrugged her shoulders. "What's in the safe?"

"Nothing but this piece of paper." Paige removed a yellowed sheet of blank paper from the safe. "That's disappointing," she said as she handed the paper to Sydney.

Sydney held up the paper to the light. "Maybe not, look here, you can see impressions from something written on top of it." She walked out of the laundry room and into the kitchen. She took a pencil out of the cup full of pens and pencils that sat next to a wireless phone base station. Sydney rubbed the paper with the pencil then held up the paper again and started to read the revealed text.

"You should read this," Sydney said as she passed the paper over to Paige.

Paige looked down at the paper full of words written in her mother's precise, compact script. "You can read this?" She asked Sydney.

"It's a twenty-year old KGB cypher," Sydney said. "I learned how to crack them when I was in training. What I find more interesting is that you can read it." Sydney arched an eyebrow at Paige.

"Like I said, they taught me a few things," Paige said before returning her attention to the note. She read it aloud for Sydney. "Paige, if you're reading this then you've returned to the house. I hope you are doing well, living the sort of life you want to live, and that you remember what we taught you. If you are looking for us, stop. It's better if we stay hidden. Just know that your father and I love you and Henry. If you do want to help us, there is a secret we have been hiding for years. It is dangerous so take it to the authorities, or better yet, burn it. We hid it in your room. We're sorry for leaving you with one last burden, but this is our last outstanding wrong that needs to be righted. We love you, Mom and Dad." Paige looked up at Sydney "They hid it in my room." She looked down at the paper again. "Son of a bitch!"

Sydney reached over and placed a hand on Paige's arm. "Parents can be complicated. Which way to your room?"

"Up the stairs, last door on the right," Paige said.

"Why don't you take a moment before you come upstairs," Sydney said as she patted Paige on the forearm.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Paige said. She nodded her head in agreement and sucked in a deep breath.

Sydney gave Paige another pat on the arm before she walked up the stairs towards Paige's old room. Inside she found what appeared to be a young boy's room. Model planes hung from the ceiling and dinosaur posters were plastered on the walls. Sydney knelt down and started to knock floor looking for an empty space on the wooden panels that lined the floor.

Sydney heard the door open and she looked up to see Paige enter the room. "Wow, this is all wrong," Paige said with a smile on her face.

"Let me guess, there should be fewer dinosaurs?" Sydney asked.

"The bed is also in the wrong spot." Sydney chuckled at Paige's joke then returned to her search. Paige walked across the room and stared out the window at the former Beeman household. "I had my first kiss across the street over there," she said to Sydney.

"Oh really?" Sydney asked as she stuck her head under the twin bed in the center of the room.

"It was Matthew Beeman, the night of the Super Bowl. Mr. Beeman came home and interrupted us."

"You and Agent Beeman's son? That must have been awkward."

"The funny thing was my dad then said I couldn't date Matthew. He didn't want me to think I had to do anything to help them spy on the US."

Sydney pulled her head out from under the bed. "Were you?"

Paige sagged against the window sill. "I still don't know. I had a crush on him even before I knew the truth about my parents. But that the time, I did, on some level want to help them. Not because I had any love for Russia…"

"But because you loved your parents and you didn't want to see your family get destroyed, I get that," Sydney said. Paige took a step away from the window and landed on a squeaky board. "How long has that squeak been there?" Sydney asked.

"For as long as I can remember," Paige said.

Sydney reached into the inner pocket of her jacket and withdrew a Swiss Army knife. She opened the knife and wedged it between the squeaky board and the rest of the floor. She levered the board up and it popped out revealing an empty hole in the floor.

"They did enjoy leaving us empty places to find," Paige said as she bent over and looked into the hole.

"They had an eye towards evading a search by the Agent Beeman's of the world," Sydney said. She tapped on the underside of the board, then slid off a panel to reveal a spool of microfilm. "And there you have it." She held up the spool for Paige to see.

"My mom's letter said you should burn that," Paige said.

"If we didn't need to know what is on this in order to stop my mother I might agree. We have to get this to Marshall right away." Sydney started to walk out of the room before pausing. "Unless you want to take a few more moments here."

Paige shook her head. "This isn't my home anymore. It hasn't been for years if I'm being honest."

"That's perfectly understandable," Sydney said. "Come on, if we hurry we can catch a flight back to LA before tomorrow."

"Wait, back to LA? What's in LA?"

"That's my base of operations," Sydney replied.

"But why would I go there with you?"

"There are still a few things we need to talk to you about the microfilm, and we might have new information about your parents' whereabouts."

"What if I don't want to find them? Look they were hiding world threatening secrets in my room."

"That is something they did, but they are also still your parents and you want to see them again. I've been there Paige, come back to LA with me."

"But what about my job?"

Sydney raised an eyebrow. "Take a sick day." She knelt down and replaced the fake floorboard. "I'm not asking you to come to work for us. Just see this part through. Aren't you curious what's on here?" She held up the microfilm canister.

Paige sighed. "Los Angeles is nice this year."

They exited the house the way they came in after carefully dusting any surfaces they touched to remove their finger prints. As they walked down the street back to their car Paige saw a middle-aged man on the other side of the street walking a small dog in the opposite direction.

"Do you think he saw us leave the house?" She asked Sydney.

Sydney tracked the man out of the corner of her eye. "I don't think so, but we shouldn't waste anytime hanging around to find out." She nudged Paige's elbow and they quickened their pace back to the car.

Without turning around, the man pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. "They were at the house," he said into the phone before having up.

 **-Los Angeles**

"What is she doing here?" Kendall asked as he walked into Marshall's workshop and found Paige sitting on a stool with a visitor's lanyard hanging around her neck.

"Sir, I promised Ms. Jennings that in exchange for her helping finding the microfilm we would share with her any information we might have on her parents."

Kendall stared at Sydney. "We did? I don't seem to recall you having the authority to make that sort of deal." He folded his arms across his chest.

"You told me to get the intelligence by any means necessary. This is what was necessary. She is not going to see anything classified, that she doesn't already know, and if somehow she does we know she can keep a secret."

Kendall stared at Sydney as he came to his decision. "Okay Sydney, I trust you so we'll do things your way. As for you Ms. Jennings, thank you for your help, but Stan Beeman was a friend of mine so I am not that inclined to think kindly of you or your family."

"Mr. Beeman was never anything but kind to me and my brother, even after he learned the truth," Paige said. "I was heartbroken when I heard of his passing." Kendall scowled at Paige, but walked out of the conference room without saying anything else. "He seems intense," Paige said to Sydney.

"That was assistant Director Kendall of the FBI. He leads the task force that is tracking my mother."

"I will never complain about the drama in my life ever again," Paige said.

Before Sydney could reply Marshall and Vaughn entered the workshop. "Who is she?" Marshall asked Vaughn. "Who are you?" He asked Paige.

"Marshall, this is Paige Jennings," Sydney said. "The microfilm you are analyzing came from her childhood home."

"Is this the same house with the hiding space straight out of the KGB field manual that you didn't need help opening?" Marshall asked.

"Yes, but that belonged to her parents, Paige is here to help."

"Sydney, can I speak to you outside for a moment?" Vaughn asked. Sydney nodded her head then followed Vaughn out of the workshop leaving Marshall alone with Paige.

"So your parents worked for the KGB? That must have been…awkward…" Marshall's voice trailed off when Paige glared at him.

As soon as the door closed behind them Vaughn turned to face Sydney. "What the hell were you thinking bringing her here?"

"It's not like she ever officially worked for the KGB," Sydney said.

"Still, this entire facility is classified."

"We can help her find her parents," Sydney said. "That's worth bending a few rules."

"You are talking about a pair of KGB illegals, at best they deserve a prison sentence, not a reunion with their long-lost daughter."

"I suspect she would agree with you about that," Sydney said. "But it doesn't change the fact that she deserves a chance to find them, even if they wind up in a prison cell at the end. I know you don't think I'm being rational at the moment, but trust me here." Sydney took a step closer to Vaughn. "Please?"

"All right fine, you win. We will throw the considerable resources of the US Government behind reuniting two KGB officers with their daughter, why not?"

Sydney kissed Vaughn on the cheek. "Thank-you Michael."

"Don't think you can just bat your eyes and I'll instantly agree with you," Vaughn said. "We might be dating, but it doesn't work like that."

"Of course it doesn't," Sydney said. She turned and walked back into the workshop.

"Sorted out your problems did you?" Marshall asked as Sydney sat down in chairs on opposite sides of the room. "You know what, it doesn't matter. Should I tell you what I found on the microfilm?"

"Keep it as high level as you can," Vaughn said. "After all, there is a civilian present."

"Michael that's…I'm sorry about Vaughn. He normally isn't this rude," Sydney said to Paige.

"Actually she should probably hear this," Marshall said. "Since it involves her."

"What do you mean it involves Paige?" Sydney asked.

"Yeah, what do you mean it involves me?" Paige asked.

"That microfilm you brought me, it contains pictures of a Rambaldi manuscript." Marshall tapped a few keys on a wireless keyboard and a display flared to life with a picture of a faded page of handwritten text on it. "I'll spare you the exact translation, but the gist of it is that Paige Jennings is the only person who can retrieve the artifact described in the text."

"Of course she is," Vaughn said with a sigh. "Do we know what this artifact is, where it is, what it does?"

Marshall shook his head. "This isn't the complete manuscript, just a handful of pages."

"Do we at least know where the full manuscript is?"

"That we do," Marshall said. "The manuscript is at the Museum of History in Bratislava. Which is located inside a castle. Isn't Europe neat?"

"Hold on, hold on, what exactly are you talking about?" Paige asked as she looked between the three CIA officers.

"Paige, I am about to tell you something that you will find hard to believe, but I promise you I am telling the truth. Just listen to what I have to say with an open mind," Sydney said.

Paige frowned. "Uh, okay?"

"For starters have you ever heard the name Milo Rambaldi?" Paige shook her head. "He lived in Renaissance Italy. I can best describe him as Leonardo meets Galileo meets Nostradamus. Today a cult, for lack of a better word, has grown up around his writing."

"And what does that have to do with me?" Paige asked.

Sydney clasped her hands together and leaned forward in her chair. "It appears that you are mentioned in one of Rambaldi's prophecies."

"What, it says Paige Jennings is going to do something?"

"I wish, unfortunately it's never that obvious."

"In this case it translated to something like daughter of two nations, belonging to neither," Marshall said. "It seems to me to be pretty clear who he was referring to."

"I belong to America, I'm a citizen," Paige said.

"But ever since you learned the truth about who your parents are haven't you felt disconnected from everyone else?" Sydney asked.

"Maybe a little, but what does it matter?"

"It did to Rambaldi apparently," Sydney said. "As for why, who knows? In my experience Rambaldi can be very inscrutable."

"So the manuscript with the location of this artifact is located in Bratislava?" Vaughn asked Marshall.

Marshall nodded his head. "It's not on display though, they have it in storage."

"Good, that will make retrieval easier. Forward me all the details we have on that museum and Weiss and I will start putting together the op. Good work Marshall." Vaughn stood up and walked out of the workshop.

"Marshall, there's something else I need you to do for me," Sydney said.

"Sure, of course, what do you need?"

"Could you start running a search for Paige's parents? I promised her we would try to find them for her."

"You want me to try and find a pair of rogue KGB agents?" Marshall asked. He looked between Paige and Sydney before sighing. "Sure thing, I'll head down to the server farm and task some fantastically expensive equipment to get right on that." Marshall continued to talk to himself as he left the workshop.

"You don't have to do this," Paige told Sydney. "I'm comfortable not knowing where my parents are. They chose to run rather than stay."

"You've done so much for us, and now this revelation about the Rambaldi manuscript," Sydney shrugged her shoulders. "I thought you could use a win is all."

Paige frowned. "What do you mean? Am I in danger because you friend thought an incredibly vague passage written by a crackpot five hundred years ago has something to do with me?"

"It's not a question of what Marshall thinks. I told you there was cult surrounding Rambaldi remember?" Paige nodded. "The people who believe that Rambaldi was a prophet are some of the most powerful on the planet, my mother included. If they learn you have any link to Rambaldi your life is in danger. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but at the moment the safest place you can be is right here."

Paige took in a deep breath. "That's, that's, wow, a lot to take in. Do you believe it? That there is anything to this Rambaldi person?"

"When I first heard of him I thought it was biggest load of noise anyone had ever told me. I've subsequently learned to be more open-minded. When you see a picture of yourself in a Fifteenth Century manuscript you almost have to be."

"I guess that's another thing we have in common," Paige said.

Sydney grinned. "We're practically sisters."

"I've always wanted a sister. I love Henry but," Paige made a face. "Teenage boys are disgusting."

"Only if you're related to them," Sydney said. "I believe you were telling me about one boy named Matthew."

"That was different, he was older."

"An older boy, Paige you were quite the heartbreaker." The two women shared a glance then burst into giggles.

"I did you know, break Matthew's heart, at least I think I did. You know how boys are."

"What happened?"

"I'd rather not talk about it, not here at least." Paige crossed her arms and gave herself a hug, lost in memories she'd rather not have.

Sydney's face fell. "Of course, I'm sorry for prying."

"You're a spy, that's what you do," Paige said.

Sydney winced at Paige's rebuke. "I deserve that. When this is all over we can go back to my house, split a bottle of wine, and I will tell you every embarrassing boy story from when I was in high school."

"I don't know about Ms. Jennings, but I would very much like to hear those stories," Jack Bristow said as he entered the workshop. "Hello Ms. Jennings, It's nice to see you again, though I do wish the circumstances were better."

"And you are?" Paige asked. She frowned as she tried to place Jack's face.

"Jack Bristow, Sydney's father."

"Your father's a spy too?" Paige asked Sydney.

"That was why Sydney's mother sought me out," Jack said. "Her assignment was to seduce and marry a CIA officer. I was the 'lucky' one she chose."

"Every time I think I have the monopoly on a messed up family life you have to go and one up me," Paige said to Sydney.

"If anyone can give me a run for my money it's you Paige," Sydney said. "Though I'm not sure this should be a competition."

"Marshall told me what he found on the microfilm," Jack said. "Ms. Jennings, I don't think it was a coincidence that Derevko left microfilm containing a Rambaldi text that referenced you with your parents for safekeeping."

"You think she knew what the microfilm said?" Sydney asked Jack.

"I'm sure of it. The only question in my mind is why hand it over. Was she blackmailing them, or giving them a warning?"

"Only my parents or Sydney's mom would know for sure," Paige said. "Does it really matter?"

"Perhaps not, but knowing Irina's motivations will better prepare us for whatever her next move will be. Failing that we will continue on as best we can. Vaughn is putting together the op to retrieve the manuscript?"

Sydney nodded her head. "He's working on it with Weiss. It should be a routine smash and grab."

"What we do is rarely routine."

"Vaughn knows how to plan an op dad," Sydney said to her father.

"I wasn't questioning Vaughn's…" Jack sighed. "Have you decided what you are doing with Ms. Jennings when you are in Bratislava?"

"Can't I just stay right here?" Paige asked.

"That is certainly an option," Jack said. "But the only place to sleep are the holding cells, which from experience aren't all that comfortable."

"Don't worry, we won't make you sleep in a holding cell," Sydney said.

"But what about the night after that? Ms. Jennings, I don't know if Sydney properly explained to you the amount of danger you are in right now."

"Sydney said I was safe here," Paige said.

"And you are, but no matter how homey the operations center might be, it is hardly a permanent solution to you problem."

"And what would be?"

"Dad, no," Sydney said.

"CIA protective custody is the only way to guarantee your safety," Jack said. "You would have to move and change your name, but I don't get the sense that you are all that attached to either of those."

"You would also have to give up all contact with your brother, and he couldn't know that you were going anywhere," Sydney said. "You would have to completely vanish from his life."

"What!" Paige said as she scrambled out of her seat. "But I'm the only family Henry has left. You can't make me cut all my ties to him."

"It might not come to that," Sydney said. "If we find the Rambaldi artifact first then you're of no use to anyone and you can continue to live your life however you see fit."

"That," Paige said. "I vote for that option." She pointed at Sydney.

"In order to do that we must acquire the manuscript before Irina does," Jack said.

"In that case what can I do to help?" Paige asked.

"No offense Paige, but I don't think there's anything you can do," Sydney said.

"That's not true, my mother taught me everything she knew, that has to count for something."

Sydney looked over at Jack. "But that was years ago. I'm sure your mother was an excellent teacher, but this is no place for a person with rusty skills."

"I wouldn't say they are that rusty. A lot of what Mom taught me comes in handy as a single woman living in New York City," Paige said. "Besides, if you believe in this crackpot then I have to be there, right? That's what prophecies mean."

Sydney bit her lip. "That's a, that's a fair point, but only if we had the manuscript. Without it we don't know where the artifact is."

Paige wrung her hands and started to pace around the workshop. "I know it doesn't make sense, but I think I need to do this. My parents caused so much death and destruction. If I could use the skills they taught me for good it would go a long way towards easy my conscience."

"If you truly felt that way you would have joined the CIA years ago," Jack said. "Instead you hid and held a decades long pity party for yourself."

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that I could have joined the CIA with my family history?" Paige asked as she walked towards Jack. "You would have suspected me of being a double agent from the moment I walked in the door."

"Something I happen to suspect right now in fact," Jack said.

Paige clenched her fists together. "Thank-you for proving my point."

Sydney put a hand on Paige's shoulder to restrain her. "Dad, maybe we should let Paige help on this mission."

"Have you completely lost your senses?" Jack asked.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course, but."

"Then trust me when I say that Paige can handle this. She managed to evade detection for years as a teenager with an FBI agent living across the street."

"Even if I agree with you, which I don't, Kendall would never agree to it."

"If she is the key to acquiring another Rambaldi artifact isn't it better if she gets her feet wet in the field with an easy mission before the important one?"

Jack held up his hands. "All right, you've made your point. I will do my best to convince Kendall to see things your way. Just know this, she cannot be allowed to be captured. I doubt her parents taught her how to resist torture."

Sydney set her mouth into a thin line then nodded. "I understand."

"Be sure that you do. I'll go talk to Kendall and Vaughn." Jack glared at Paige before walking out of the workshop.

Paige sunk back into her chair. "I can't believe I just did that. Why did I do that?"

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to," Sydney told Paige. "I can retrieve the manuscript on my own."

"No, no I can do this. I want to do this. The moment is just a little overwhelming you know?"

Sydney walked over to Paige and squeezed her shoulder. "I do. Would you like a moment to collect yourself, or do you want to head over to the armory to collect our gear?"

"If I stay in this room for one moment longer I will go insane," Paige said.

"In that case let's go to the armory."

 **-Bratislava, Slovakia**

Sydney and Paige, both dressed in designer evening wear, moved through the crowd at a gala event in the Slovakian Museum of History. Sydney sipped on a glass of champagne as she surveyed the crowd. She raised her hand to her ear and while she mimed adjusting her earring she toggled on her radio.

"Boy Scout, this is Mountaineer. We are in position, do you copy?"

"Loud and clear Mountaineer," Vaughn said from the command center. "Do you see the door?"

—x—x—x—x—x—

"Okay everyone, it's time for a little game of good news, bad news," Vaughn said to the assembled group in the conference room as he went over the mission plan. "The good news is that there is a gala event tomorrow night at the museum which should make infiltration a snap. The bad news is that means there will be enhanced security on the floor."

—x—x—x—x—x—

Sydney scanned the room. "I see the door, and two very large guards standing watch over it."

"Roger that, Canary, you're up."

"Uh, okay," Paige said. She looked over at Sydney who gave her an encouraging nod.

—x—x—x—x—x—

"The only way to get to the archives from where the gala is being held is through this door," Vaughn said. He pointed to a spot on the map illuminated behind him. "The door is protected by an electronic lock, video surveillance, and guards."

"Two of those I can deal with easily," Marshall said. "The guards will require a more, uh, personal touch."

"That's where we find out how much Ms. Jennings learned from her parents," Vaughn said.

—x—x—x—x—x—

Sydney reached into her clutch and pushed the power switch on Marshall's powerful surveillance jammer. She then gave Paige a thumbs up signal.

Paige nodded at Sydney before she took a deep breath and ran over to the two guards. "Are you two with security? Do you speak English? Oh please say you speak English."

"We do," one of the guards said in heavily accented English. "What is problem?"

"I was, like, powdering my nose in the restroom when this completely sketchy bum walked in. I thought he was going to, well I don't know what he was going to do I ran past him as fast as I could, but you, like, have to do something." She started crying to help sell her panic.

Back in LA Weiss looked over at Vaughn. "I have to admit, girl's got skills."

Vaughn chuckled. "You're only saying that because you think she's hot."

"If having a thing for attractive, slightly older women is wrong, I never want to be right."

The two guards shared a look and spoked quietly between themselves in Slovak. "Stay here," the guard said in English to Paige. "We'll be right back."

"Like, thank-you so much. I'll be right here." She watched as the two guards ran towards the restrooms.

"Nice work," Sydney said as she walked up to the door. She removed another device out of her purse and slotted it into the card reader built into the door. Lights on the electronic lock pick flashed between red and green before all settling on green. There was a soft clunk and the door swung open.

—x—x—x—x—x—

"Once you're in the archives you'll find the manuscript in their document storage area located here," Vaughn said. He tapped a spot on the map.

"What sort of security is there once we're in the archive?" Sydney asked.

"It's a museum, not an intelligence facility, don't expect anything you can't handle."

"That's a wide range of possibilities," Sydney said.

"You'll do fine," Vaughn said.

—x—x—x—x—x—

Paige and Sydney crept down the hallway towards the record archive. Sydney heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hall from the opposite direction. She held her hand up to signal Paige to stop. They slipped into an empty office and waited as a uniformed guard walked by. Paige breathed a sigh of relief as the guard continued on his way. Sydney motioned for Paige to follow her.

They came to a stop in front of a door with a sign on it written in Slovak. "This is the place," Sydney said. She reached into her clutch and withdrew a pair of lock picks. "Hold this for me." She handed the clutch to Paige and got to work picking the lock. The door swung open and they found themselves staring at a large dark room. "Boy Scout, we're in the storage area."

"Copy that Mountaineer, the manuscript is in section D47."

"Roger that, D47." Sydney drew a small flashlight form the clutch and they crept through the stacks of the archive. They found section D47 and Sydney pulled a box off of the shelf. Inside was a large leather bound book with metal straps holding it shut. Embossed on the cover was the logo of the Eye of Rambaldi. "Okay Boy Scout, we have the package. It's time to get out of here."

—x—x—x—x—x—

"So once we do get the manuscript how do we leave?" Sydney asked. "The way we came in from isn't going to be available."

"What's the one thing all museums are afraid of the most?" Vaughn asked the group.

"Oh, I know this," Marshall said. "A fire."

"Exactly, if they think there's a fire the entire security staff will drop everything to deal with it."

"You don't expect us to start a fire in a museum do you?" Paige asked.

"Of course not. Marshall is going to fool the museum's fire suppression system into thinking there is one in the archive."

"But when they get to the archive and don't see any sign of a fire will we have enough time to get out of the building?" Sydney asked.

Vaughn reached into the pocket of his jacket and withdrew a small smoke grenade. "This will help slow them down."

—x—x—x—x—x—

Sydney activated the grenade and rolled it down the aisle. "Time to go," she said to Paige as smoke started to billow around them.

They ran out of the storage area as klaxons began to sound all around them. Smoke bellowed out of the room behind them. They made their way through the corridors of the museum's archives as quickly as they could until they arrived at a fire door. Paige pushed open the door and they ran out of the museum.

"Hold up," Sydney said. She passed the heavy manuscript over to Paige. "I want to take a picture of page forty-seven so Marshall can start analyzing it."

Paige took the manuscript from Sydney and opened it up. "Why forty-seven?"

"Because Rambaldi always hid important information on page forty-seven," Sydney replied. She drew out a camera and snapped a picture of the page. "Boy Scout, I'm sending you a picture of the Rambaldi manuscript for Marshall to analyze."

"We're getting it now Mountaineer, good work. Now get back to the safe house and we can discuss next steps," Kendall said before taking off his headset.

"We'll contact you once we get to the safe house," Sydney said. She switched off her radio and looked over at Paige. "You did well back there."

"Thanks, I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I'd be," Paige said. They walked towards the museum's parking lot where fire trucks were starting to arrive. "Do you think anyone saw us?"

"No, but that doesn't mean we should stay here any longer than we have to," Sydney said. The arrived at their rented Peugot and Paige put the manuscript in the back seat.

While Sydney drove the Peugot through the streets of Bratislava Paige looked around at the scenery. "Uh Sydney? I don't want to sound a false alarm, but the same van has been following us since we left the museum."

Sydney muttered a curse and stepped on the accelerator. A glance into the rear view mirror confirmed that the van was still following them. "I thought this was going a little too smoothly. Hang on."

The van spend up and slammed into the rear of the Peugeot. Sydney struggled to control the car, but a second impact, this time near the driver's rear wheel sent the car spinning out of control. They slammed into a lamp post leaving them both dazed for a moment. Sydney shook the cobwebs out of her head then reached across the car and withdrew her pistol from the glove box. She looked out the car and saw that the van had come to a complete stop and a team of men dressed in tactical gear were advancing on them. Sydney stuck the pistol through the broken driver's side window and fired off several shots, sending the attack team diving for cover.

Sydney turned her attention to Paige. "Hey Paige are you still with me?" She asked as she nudged Paige on the shoulder.

"I hurt, but yes," Paige replied. She stretched to work out the kinks from the impact.

"Can you walk?" Paige nodded. "Good because we have to run." Paige unbuckled her seat belt and turned to collect the manuscript. "There's no time, leave it!" Sydney yelled at Paige. She exited the car and continued to pin down their attackers with covering fire.

"But," Paige started to say.

"No time, run now!" Paige did as she was told with Sydney close on her heels.

—x—x—x—x—x—

"Do we know who has the manuscript now?" Kendall asked Sydney and Paige over a conference call. Sydney, Paige and Dixon all stood around a conference phone in the safe house's dining room. On the other end of the line Kendall, Jack and Vaughn sat in a conference room in Los Angeles.

"Irina Derevko I would presume," Sydney said. Since arriving at the safe house she and Paige had both showered and changed into more practical clothes.

"And how exactly did Derevko know when to attack?"

"I would guess she had a team watching the museum and was waiting for us to make a move," Sydney said.

"That, or her team was about to make its own play for the manuscript and we beat them to the punch," Jack said.

"At least we got a picture of page forty-seven," Sydney said.

"That did keep the operation from being a complete disaster," Kendall said.

"Do we have an analysis of the page completed?" Sydney asked.

"We do. There's a monastery a few hours east of Bratislava. We believe the artifact is there."

"Good, we need to move quickly on this, I doubt we have much of a lead over Irina," Sydney said.

"Agreed," Dixon said. "Sydney and I will go there now."

"I'm coming too," Paige said.

"Of course, that's why you're here after all," Sydney said to Paige.

"Can you shoot a gun?" Dixon asked.

"I know how to, and I go to a shooting range once a month to practice." Paige looked over at Sydney. "Don't look so surprised. I wanted to be ready in case someone in Russian intelligence wanted revenge for turning in my parents."

"That's fair," Sydney said after a moment of reflection.

"Now hold up, before the three of you charge off and desecrate a monastery, let us do surveillance on the site and get back to you with actionable intelligence," Vaughn said.

"We don't have time for this," Sydney said.

"Yes we do," Jack said, cutting off Vaughn's retort. "Time isn't that short and having you or Ms. Jennings get captured would be a true disaster."

"Besides Syd, you were just in a car accident. Take a moment to rest up," Vaughn said.

Sydney glared at the phone, but Dixon put a hand on her arm to keep her from speaking. "Understood. We'll wait to hear from you." He punched a button on the phone and disconnected the line.

"Dixon," Sydney started to say.

"They're right Sydney. We need to stop and come up with a proper plan of attack, not charge in completely blind."

Sydney took a deep breath. "Fine, I'll take this moment everyone thinks I so desperately need. In the meantime let's hope my mother doesn't find the artifact before we can." She walked out of the room, leaving Paige and Dixon behind.

Paige held out her hand to Dixon. "Hi, I'm Paige Jennings, and you are?"

Dixon smiled. "I know who you are Ms. Jennings, my name is Marcus Dixon. I used to work with Sydney at…well let's just say I've known Sydney for a long time."

"Do you think her mother is going to beat us to this artifact?"

Dixon shrugged. "Does it matter? You are supposed to be the only person who can retrieve it, aren't you?"

"I suppose that's true, that's what I've been told at least."

"In that case I wouldn't be worried about Irina Derevko stealing the artifact out from under our noses. I'd be more worried about the monastery being a trap."

"You're certainly cheery," Paige said.

"It comes with the territory of being a spy."

"Is there a kitchen in here? I need some tea to settle my nerves."

"There's one through the door behind you." Dixon pointed at the door.

Paige smiled at Dixon. "Thank you, for the tea, and for saving my life tonight."

"It was my pleasure," Dixon said with a nod.

Paige walked into the kitchen and busied herself with boiling water for tea in a tea kettle. She located a box of tea bags in one of the kitchen's cabinets. After the tea kettle started to whistle she filled two tea cups with water and tea bags in them to steep. She picked up the tea cups and walked up to the second floor of the safe house. Paige nudged open the only door with a light shining out from behind it.

"Knock-knock," she said. "I was making tea and thought you might want a cup." Paige found Sydney lying on top of the room's sole bed. "I know it's not the glass of wine we talked about."

"No, but tea is perfect right now." Sydney sat up on the bed. She took one of the cups from Paige then sipped from it. "We didn't exactly spring for the good stuff did we?" She said as she made a face.

"It's hot and it sort of resembles tea, that's all that matters in my book." She took a drink from her cup. "Though this is pushing it even by my standards."

"Welcome to the best the United States government can afford." The two women shared a laugh.

"Sydney? What aren't you telling me about yourself?" Paige asked. "I might not be a seasoned agent like you, but I can tell that there is something going on."

Sydney took another sip of tea before replying. "There's a lot that I haven't told you about myself. What you're probably referring to is that when I was a freshman in college I was approached by a man who said he worked for the CIA. He asked me to join a special black-ops division known as SD-6." Sydney took a deep breath. "Naturally I said yes, why wouldn't I right? What I didn't know at the time was that SD-6 as one part of a criminal syndicate known as the Alliance of Twelve. What they did was pretend to be a part of the real CIA and recruit members that way. Myself, Dixon, Marshall, we all thought we were working for the good guys when the truth was far more horrible."

Paige sunk into a wooden chair next to the door. "That's terrible, how did you learn the truth?"

"I broke the rules and told my fiancé that I was a spy. SD-6 had him killed, then tried to have me killed. I joined the CIA and spent the next year and a half working to destroy the Alliance of Twelve."

"That is some story," Paige said. "Like if you had told it to me before today, I probably wouldn't have believed you."

Sydney laughed. "When I say it all out loud it does sound ridiculous doesn't it?"

"No more than my boring travel agent parents actually being Russian spies," Paige said. "So what are we going to do now?"

"We wait for Kendall to get a back to us with the results of the reconnaissance."

"Do you think that's wise?"

"By the book yes, charging in blind is a good way to end up dead. We'll need a satellite tasked on the site, and have a response team on standby. I can understand why they ordered us to wait."

"But you don't like it."

"Not at all. We need to stop Irina, and I need to get answers to all the questions I have about Rambaldi and how I fit into it."

"This must be incredibly frustrating for you, to be named in something that old. Like your life is no longer yours to live in your own way."

Sydney snapped her fingers together. "Yes exactly, I'm supposed to destroy the world. I don't want to destroy the world of course, and yet this lunatic says I'm capable of it." She finished her tea and set the cup down on the end table next to her bed. "But I can't do much about that at the moment. So we wait." She and Paige lapsed into silence.

"I don't know about you, but I could really use that glass of wine right about now," Paige said. "But that would be a bad idea I'm guessing."

"Getting drunk before you raid a monastery is generally frowned on," Sydney said. "Especially when there's a strong chance you're about to fight former KGB agents."

"Speaking of former KGB agents, do you really think Marshall can find my parents?"

"If anyone can it's Marshall, he's a wizard when it comes to facial recognition software," Sydney said. "That isn't to say he will, just that he's the best man for the job."

"I'm still not sure I want them found. They are my parents and despite everything they did I still love them, but they are also a relic of the past, like those old nuclear missile silos in North Dakota. A terrible weapon best forgotten about."

"Even so, knowing is better than not, and nothing says you have to do anything with the information."

Paige sighed. "I suppose, but we can talk about this later. There are more pressing things to worry about right now."

"Right, we have to worry about my long-long parent, who cares about yours." They both laughed at the joke. "There's another bed in the room across the hall, why don't you get some rest until this reconnaissance data arrives."

Paige stretched her arms over her head. "That sounds like an excellent idea." She stood up from her chair.

"Have a nice nap," Sydney said to Paige who gave Sydney a wave in reply. Sydney leaned back against her pillow and closed her eyes. Sleep came quickly.

—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—

A soft knock on the door woke Sydney up from her nap. Dixon stuck his head in the room. "Sydney, Kendall is on the line."

Sydney fought back a yawn. "Okay, I'll be right down." She got out of the bed and stretched to work out the kinks in her back. She walked down to the safe house's command center and found that Paige had beaten her to the meeting and was sitting next to Dixon with a steaming mug of coffee in her hand.

"There's a fresh pot in the kitchen," Dixon said when he saw Sydney eyeing Paige's coffee.

"Bless you," Sydney replied. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a mug of coffee. When she returned to the meeting room she saw Kendall and her father projected on the large monitor that dominated one end of the room.

"Nice of you to join us Agent Bristow," Kendall said.

"Do we have the reconnaissance data you wanted?" Sydney asked.

Kendall nodded his head. "We do."

"And?"

"It's not going to be easy." Kendall's image was replaced by a satellite map. "The artifact is located in Katarinka, an abandoned Franciscan Monastery. Satellite imagery shows that two trucks worth of men have secured the ruins. We are coordinating with JSOC to get a team of Special Forces operators to take back the site."

"But that will require more time," Sydney said. "Approval on our end, approval from the Slovaks. We do not have that luxury."

"Sydney, take a breath," Jack said. "There is a SEAL team in Germany and they can be on site in a matter of hours. To try and take the monastery with anything less would be suicide."

"And useless if Irina is gone by the time we get there."

"But Syd, we have Paige and they don't," Vaughn said over the conference line.

"What if she can move whatever it is that's holding the artifact without Paige?" Sydney asked. "We'd be worse off than we were before."

Dixon cleared his throat. "Sir, what if we went on ahead of the SEAL team and provided them in the field intelligence?"

"No engagement, just observation?" Kendall asked.

"Absolutely sir, we could provide detailed intel on the enemy's movements, strength, layout."

"That is a good idea Agent Dixon, but do not engage Derevko's men, leave that to the SEAL team, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear sir," Sydney said.

"Good, radio in when you get in position, good luck and godspeed," Kendall said before killing the connection.

"I'll go get the tactical gear," Dixon said. He stood up from the conference table and left the room.

Sydney's cellphone started to ring. She checked and saw Vaughn's number on the caller ID. "Paige, could you go help Dixon? I have to take this."

"Sure thing Sydney," Paige said.

"You're going to ignore Kendall aren't you?" Vaughn said without preamble.

"Hello to you too," Sydney said.

"Now is not the time to play games with me Sydney," Vaughn said. "I won't rat you out to Kendall, I just want to know the truth."

Sydney ran her free hand through her hair. "Let's just say I'm going to perform aggressive reconnaissance and leave it at that."

"Damnit Syd, you're going to get yourself killed."

"I happen to be very good at my job and out of all the crazy things I've done this is barely top ten material."

"Be careful, and if you do need help give me a call. I'll be monitoring the op with Weiss in Marshall's workshop."

"Thank-you Michael."

"I wish I could be there to help you, but there's no way I could make it in time."

"I know, I wish you could be here too, but at least you'll be the voice in my ear, and I know you never steer me wrong."

Vaughn chuckled. "I don't know if I can handle that kind of pressure."

"You haven't let me down yet."

"Stay safe out there."

"I'll do my best, see you soon." Sydney hung up her phone and went to check on Dixon and Paige.

Inside the makeshift armory Dixon was handing Paige a bullet proof vest. "Try this one on, it should fit you."

"Everything going alright in here?" Sydney asked.

"Agent Dixon is helping me find a bullet proof vest," Paige said. "Apparently I'm more petite than the average CIA agent."

"But she is going to need one when we go after that artifact," Dixon said. "So we are going to find one that fits."

"What do you mean go after the artifact?" Paige asked. "I thought your boss said to wait."

Dixon turned his attention from Paige to Sydney. "He did, and, but that isn't going to stop Sydney now is it?"

"I cannot let Irina acquire the artifact, so no I wasn't planning on obeying that particular order."

"In that case you are going to need this." Dixon handed Sydney a silenced M4 carbine.

Sydney took the gun from Dixon and started to break it down. "Kendall was right about one thing. Any attack will go more smoothly with someone spotting it." She looked over at Dixon and raised an eyebrow.

"Is that how it goes? You're dumping me for your new partner?" Dixon asked Sydney.

"You know how to coordinate with the SEAL team, Paige doesn't. That's all there is to it. Besides I figure you could put that sniper rifer to good use." Sydney pointed at the large rifle hanging from the wall behind Dixon's head.

"I was thinking the same thing," Dixon said. "I'll take up position here." He pointed out a hill on a map of the area displayed on a computer monitor. "That should provide me with good nightlines over the entire area."

"In that case Paige and I will infiltrate the monastery from here." Sydney traced a route to the monastery from Dixon's proposed location. She looked over at Dixon and Paige. "Last chance to back out."

"You're my partner Sydney, you know I won't do that," Dixon said.

Paige shrugged her shoulders. "I've gone this far, might as well see it through to the finish."

Sydney nodded her head. "In that case let's finish gearing up and head out."

 **-Katarinka, Slovakia**

Sydney and Dixon crept up over the crest of the hill that overlooked Katarinka. Below them they saw a platoon's worth of armed men scurrying around under portable halogen lamps.

Dixon toggled on his radio. "Base, I'm transmitting, are you seeing this?"

Back in Los Angeles Kendall turned on the microphone in his headset. "Copy that, we have a solid feed. Now sit tight. ETA on the SEAL team is thirty minutes."

"That fast?" Sydney asked.

"As it turns out the President didn't need much persuading and decided it would be better to beg forgiveness of the Slovak government than ask permission."

Dixon switched off his radio and looked over at Sydney. "Are you sure you still want to go through with this? Thirty minutes isn't that long a wait."

Sydney checked the magazine of her carbine. "This way we know help is going to get here sooner than later is all. We'll be fine."

"I hope so," Dixon said.

Sydney smiled at Dixon. "I have you watching over me. That's all the assurance I need."

"Stay safe Sydney, and look after Paige. She's held her own up to this point, but what you're about to do is a long way from stealing a book from the library.

"I know, and I'll keep her safe. She didn't ask for any of this after all."

"Neither did you Syd," Dixon said.

"Sure I did. I could've told Sloane to take a hike when he recruited me to join SD-6."

"You were never going to say no to Sloane, that was the whole reason he asked you. He knew you'd say yes because you are the sort of person who wants to do good in the world." Dixon reached over and punched Sydney on the arm. "Besides, there's a job to do. Worry about regrets later."

"I'll have you know I'm capable of doing both," Sydney said to Dixon. "You stay safe as well okay."

"I will if you will," Dixon said.

Sydney smiled at her partner. "It's a deal." She turned and crept back down the hill to where Paige was standing.

"So are we all set?" Paige asked Sydney.

"We are," Sydney said. "Now Paige…"

"For the last time, I am not going to back out. I've come this far and I need to know how it ends."

Sydney held up her hands in surrender. "I just wanted to be sure."

Paige pulled on the helmet she'd been given. Sydney thought it looked comically oversized on the shorter woman's head. "I am sure. Don't I look sure to you?"

"I think you look scared out of your wits, but also very sure." Sydney pulled down the night-vision goggled attached to her helmet. "Follow me, step where I step, and don't say anything."

Paige pulled her own goggles into place. "Okay, that is weird."

"You'll get used to it." Sydney unslung her carbine and lead them through the forest that surrounded the monastery. Paige focused on following every step Sydney made and everything she walked over. They approached the edge of the forest and Sydney motioned for Paige to stop.

"Dixon, what do you see?" Sydney asked over the radio.

"There's a patrol headed your way, but after that it's a straight shot to the ruins," Dixon said as he surveyed the location through the scope of his rifle.

"Copy that," Sydney said. She sunk back deeper into the forest. Two heavily armed men walked past. One shone a flashlight across the forest, but it slid by Sydney without arousing suspicious. She waited until they were well past her position before she motioned for Paige to follow her again. They sprinted between crates of equipment as they approached the monastery.

Dixon continued to follow their progress across the field. "You're all clear Sydney, keep it up."

"Agent Dixon," Kendall said over the radio. "Would you mind telling me where Agent Bristow is."

"She is, er, performing advanced reconnaissance sir."

"I see, and would that be your diplomatic way of saying she's disobeyed my orders?"

"Assuming she survives you are free to fire her."

Kendall snorted and turned off his radio with a jab of his thumb. "She gets this from you," he told Jack. "Notify the SEAL team that there are going tone friendlies on site."

The entrance to the ruin was guarded by a single mercenary. Sydney motioned for Paige to stay hidden in the shadows as she drew a hypospray out of a pocket of her vest. She crept up alongside the guard and before he could react she jabbed him in the neck with the needle. The guard slumped unconscious and Sydney dragged him back towards Paige.

"I know our lives are in mortal danger, but that was one of the most badass things I've ever seen," Paige said while Sydney bound the guard's hands and feet.

"Thanks," Sydney said. She drew in a breath. "But we have to hurry. It won't be long before they miss this guy." They ran into the ruins of the monastery. Inside there were work lights set up to provide illumination. Sydney flipped up her goggles, then turned on her radio. "Marshall, where are we going?"

Back in his workshop Marshall tapped on his keyboard. "Okay, the monastery was destroyed in the Nineteenth Century, but the catacombs remain mostly intact. Based on the clues in the text that would be the first place to look."

"Have anything more specific?"

"Look for the tomb of Saint Katherine. It's her monastery after all."

"Got it, thank-you Marshall." She turned to face Paige. "Did you catch all that?"

"The Tomb of St. Katherine," Paige said. "I hope you know what that looks like."

"I'll know it when I see it," Sydney said. She pointed down the hall. "This way."

They snuck through the ruins until they came to another guard post. This time however Sydney heard a familiar voice, her mother.

"Klaus hasn't checked in, I want everyone on high alert," Irina said.

Sydney looked back at Paige. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course," Paige said.

"I have a plan, but if it goes badly I'm going to need you to run back to Dixon as fast as you can, okay?"

"I know I said I trust you, but this is pushing it."

Sydney placed a hand on Paige's shoulder "Don't worry, it'll be fine." She stood up and walked around the corner with her carbine at the ready. "Hey mom," she called out before she shot the two men flanking Irina.

"Sydney, how nice to see you again, you look well," Irina said.

"Don't say another word, don't even move, or I will shoot you," Sydney said. She kept her gun pointed at Irina. "It's okay to come out Paige."

"That was your big plan, shoot them?" Paige asked.

Sydney shrugged her shoulders. "It worked didn't it? Keep your gun pointed at her while I tie her up." Sydney walked around Irina and cinched her arms together with a pair of zip ties.

"Paige Jennings, is that you?" Irina asked. "You've certainly grown into a beautiful woman. So much like your mother."

Paige raised her pistol and aimed it at Irina. "Stop talking."

"They would be so proud that you went into the family business, although Nadezdha would disapprove of the side you chose."

"I didn't choose any side. I'm here because you dragged me into this stupid world."

Irina shook her head. "My dear I didn't do that. I merely brought the part you would play to your parents' attention. Your presence here is part of Rambaldi's grand plan, and that is bigger than all of us."

Paige looked over at Sydney. "No offense, but your mother is insane."

"I'm starting to think that myself. Listen mom, stay here and fight us, or you can run. Keep in mind that there is a SEAL team en route to this location and if you're still here when they arrive then you are finished," Sydney said as she stepped out from behind Irina. "So what's it going to be mom, fight or flight?"

Irina glared at Sydney. "Are you going to at least cut me free if I run?"

Sydney crossed her arms in front of her. "No."

"This is not a win for you, and she is not someone you can trust," Irina said as she nodded at Paige.

"I trust her more than you," Sydney said.

"You'll find out I'm right soon enough," Irina said before she ran out of the catacombs.

"What did she mean I'm not to be trusted?" Paige asked.

"NO idea, but I wouldn't put much stock in it. She was just trying to cause trouble." Sydney hefted her carbine. "Let's go, there are still a lot of mercenaries around so we need to be quick."

They walked deeper into the catacombs with Sydney taking point and Paige following close behind. Paige stared at the rows of coffins that lined the walls. "This is the creepiest place I've ever been," Paige said.

Sydney looked at the arm of a skeleton poking out of a decaying coffin. "I am right there with you."

They eventually came to a stop at the end of a hallway in front of an ornate tomb. "Is this the place?" Paige asked.

Sydney examined the surface of the stone tomb until her hand ran over an engraved Eye of Rambaldi. "This is the place." She put her shoulder to the lid of the sarcophagus and pushed. When the lid refused to budge she looked back at Paige. "Okay maybe you should try." She stepped away from the tomb.

"What should I do?" Paige asked.

"I don't precisely know, but you are the person named in the prophecy. Try putting your hand on the Eye of Rambaldi, that symbol on the top of the sarcophagus."

"Should I cut it first?"

"As strange as it may sound, that is a actually a good idea." Sydney drew a knife from her belt and handed it to Paige. "I know this is asking a lot of you and I am sorry in advance."

Paige took the knife and then looked between it and the open palm of her hand. She took in a deep breath then slashed her palm with the knife. "Son of a bitch, that hurts!" She flexed her cut hand and watched the blood pool in her palm.

"Jesus Christ, I thought you were just going to prick your finger," Sydney said.

"This way seemed more appropriate," Paige said. "Here goes nothing." She placed her bloodied hand on the Eye of Rambaldi.

A loud grinding noise started up below them and the lid of the sarcophagus slid back into the wall. Paige looked down at her bloodied palm in shock. "That worked, that actually worked. I can't believe it. That only happens in movies."

"Welcome to my world," Sydney said to Paige. She patted her on the back. "Here, you'll probably want this." Sydney pulled a small roll of sterile gauze out from one of the pouches on her tactical vest and gave it to Paige.

"It's going to be nasty in there isn't it?" Paige said as she wound the gauze around her cut hand.

"There's only one way to find out." Sydney and Paige took a step closer to the coffin and peered inside. Instead of a skeleton they found a container the size of a shoebox. "You should take that," Sydney said. "If I did I bet a rock would fall on my head or something."

Paige reached into the coffin and withdrew the carved wooden box. "It's heavy," she said to Sydney.

"I don't want to put anymore pressure on you, but don't drop that," Sydney said. She unbuckled a backpack and held it open for Paige to deposit the box in. Paige zipped up the backpack, took it from Sydney and slung it over her shoulders. She unholstered her pistol then nodded to Sydney that she was ready to go. Sydney raised her carbine and lead Paige back towards the entrance. When they reached the exit of the catacombs they found a pair of Irina's mercenaries waiting for them.

"Get down!" Sydney yelled as she pushed Paige to one side of the hallway. She opened fire on the mercenaries, dropping both of them. Sydney motioned for Paige to follow her and they ran out of the catacombs and back into the monastery's chapel.

Paige stopped and looked down at the dead bodies. "How can you be so calm about killing people like that?"

"If we want to get out of here alive it has to be done," Sydney said. "Plus if it makes you feel any better the sort of person who agrees to work for my mother isn't the sort of person you should mourn."

"I get that, but still."

"It's never easy, but this isn't the time to dwell." Sydney tugged on Paige's arm and dragged her through the nave of the chapel. "We have the package," she said into her radio.

"Copy that," Dixon said. "The SEAL team is still en route, and the entire compound is on high alert."

"That's probably our fault," Sydney said. "Irina's in the wind, but I bet she told her men to stay and fight."

"That or they're trying salvage something from a blown op," Dixon said.

"Can you do anything to thin them out for us?" Sydney asked.

"I'll do my best, but this isn't the most defensible spot. If they figure out where I am…"

"Understood, but anything you can do to help we'll appreciate it."

"Of course, who do you think I am?"

Sydney smiled to herself. "Stay safe our there."

Dixon looked down the scope of his rifle at a cluster of mercenaries who were approaching the door to the chapel. "Let's give you something else to think about." He squeezed the trigger and one of the soldiers dropped to the ground. The rest of there mercenaries scattered for cover as Dixon fired again. His shot found its mark and another soldier fell. "Okay, I've got you covered, make a run for it," he told Sydney.

"Copy that," Sydney checked the magazine of her carbine and looked over at Paige. "On my mark run for the forest. Dixon and I will cover you."

"What about you?" Paige asked.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Sydney said. "Are you ready."

Paige nodded. "Let's do this."

"We're coming out," Sydney said into her radio before kicking open the door. She fired on any soldiers still out in the open, causing them do duck for cover. "Run!" Sydney yelled.

Paige took a deep breath and ran for the first. She could feel bullets rush past her head, but she did not slow down and kept her focus on the tree line. When she reached the forest she dove behind a large oak. She peered out from behind the tree and saw that the surviving mercenaries were advancing on Sydney, who was hiding behind a metal shipping crate.

Paige toggled her radio. "I'm in the forest, just waiting for you."

"Get back to the car. The artifact is more important than I am."

Paige muttered a curse to herself. "Dixon, Sydney's in trouble, we have to help her."

"I know, but I'm taking fire myself. I'll draw my attackers away, but you're on your own from here on out."

"Paige, get out of here!" Sydney shouted over the radio.

Paige drew her pistol from its holster. "Forget that, this time I'll cover you, and you run like hell." She spun out from the cover of the started to fire wildly at the mercenaries that were moving to surround Sydney. Some ran for cover while others turned and shot at Paige. She ducked behind the tree again for safety. Still the distraction was enough for Sydney to break from her cover and run headlong for the forest. She threw herself on the ground and stayed low as bullets whistled over her head. Sydney scrabbled over to a tree next to Paige and pulled herself into a sitting position.

"That was risky and stupid, but thank-you," Sydney told Paige. She reloaded her carbine and fired a burst at the remaining mercenaries to keep them at bay. "Dixon are you okay?" Sydney asked.

"Copy that. I dealt with my pursuers. How are things with you?"

"Better than they were, but we're still pinned down and we don't have the supplies for a lengthy fight." To prove her point Sydney's carbine ran dry and she loaded her final magazine.

"Just hold on a little longer, the SEAL team is almost here," Dixon said.

Almost as if on cue a small attack helicopter flew overhead. "Mountaineer, this is Night Ranger One Eight, please state your position so I can clear the LZ," a military voice said over the radio.

"Night Ranger One Eight, this is Mountaineer. You don't know how glad I am to hear your voice. We're in the forest to the west of the clearing, about fifty meters inside the tree line."

"Fifty meters, copy that and don't get any closer," Night Ranger One Eight said. The helicopter took up a position over them and fired on the mercenaries with its twin minions. After two bursts the helicopter swung over the monastery. "LZ is clear, have a nice night Mountaineer."

"Thanks for the save Night Ranger One Eight." The helicopter waggled its struts and then flew off. "Have you ever been in helicopter?" Sydney asked Paige.

"I can't say that I have," Paige said.

"In that case, today is your lucky day," Sydney said to Paige as a large Chinook helicopter thundered overhead and sat down in the clearing next to the monastery.

The rear ramp hit the ground and heavily armed SEALs streamed out and quickly formed a perimeter around the helicopter. Paige started to move towards the SEALs, but Sydney reached out and stopped her.

"Wait until they call for us, we don't want to get shot by a trigger happy sailor."

"We're not trigger happy ma'am, just overly cautious," a large man dressed in black fatigues and carrying a rifle said as he approached them. "Canary, Mountaineer?"

Sydney nodded. "That's us."

"I'm Lieutenant Stranham, I've been told to give you a ride to Germany."

"Thank-you very much Lieutenant, but we're not the only members of of my team here."

"I know ma'am, I have two men out to collect Outrigger as well."

Sydney smiled at Stranham. "In that case Lieutenant lead the way."

Stranham nodded and then walked them back to the Chinook. Sydney saw Dixon, flanked by two SEALs, enter the clearing. Breathing a sigh of relief Sydney boarded the Chinook and sat down in one of the jump seats that lined the interior of the helicopter. Paige unslung her backpack and sat down next to Sydney.

"One last question for you ma'am," Stranham asked. "Do you have the package?"

Paige patted the top of the backpack. "We have it."

Stranham nodded. "We'll pass that up the line. I'll have my corpsman clean up that hand of yours after we take off," Stranham told Paige. "In the meantime make yourself comfortable, we're on a direct shot to Rammstein, which is a three hour flight or so, including one mid-air refuel."

"You can do that in a helicopter?" Paige asked.

"You can in this one. Strap in, we'll be taking off in five." Stranham walked towards the helicopter's cockpit.

Dixon boarded the aircraft and sat down next to Sydney. "We made it through another one," Sydney said to him.

"I will believe that when are on the ground in the US," Dixon said. He leaned back and let his head rest against the Chineook's fuselage.

Lieutenant Stranham returned from the cockpit. "When we land at Rammstein there is going to be a G-37 waiting to take you back to Los Angeles. Someone must think you're carrying something important to pull out all the stops like this."

"It's not your place to speculate," Sydney told the lieutenant.

"No, it is not, my apologies ma'am."

"Lieutenant," Sydney said. "Thanks for the ride."

Stranham smiled at Sydney. "It was no trouble at all, from the looks of things you handled yourselves pretty well. All my boys had to do was practice a combat landing."

As the last of the SEALs boarded the Chinook the loading ramp raised and the engines spooled up. There was a soft jolt and the helicopter lifted off from the ground. Around them SEALs took off their helmets and bumped fists. Sydney sagged against her safety harness and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked over at Paige and cuffed her on the shoulder. It was too loud inside the Chinook to carry on a conversation so instead Sydney flashed Paige a thumbs up. Paige returned the gesture and smiled wanly. Sydney leaned back and closed her eyes. She knew she probably wouldn't be able to sleep, but attempting to was better than starting at the other side of a helicopter for three houses.

Dixon nudged her and Sydney blinked her eyes open. She saw Lieutenant Stranham walking up and down the length of the helicopter tapping on the shoulders of his men. Stranham leaned in close to Sydney. "We're coming in for a landing at Rammstein. Sydney nodded her understanding. She then looked over at Paige to let her know, but saw that she was already glancing around the cabin.

The helicopter landed with a solid thump and the loading ramp descended. They unbuckled themselves from their jump seats with Stranham's assistance and walked out of the Chinook. Sitting on the tarmac in front of them was the promised jet. Lieutenant Stranham saluted them, then re boarded the helicopter. The Chinook's engines spooled up again and flew off into the morning dawn.

A uniformed Air Force officer ran out of the plane and over to where Dixon, Paige and Sydney stood. "You're the three I'm taking to LA?" He asked over the din of the departing helicopter and idling jet.

Sydney nodded her head. "That's right."

"We're cleared to take off the moment you board. Do you have any luggage?" The pilot asked as he glanced down at the guns they were still carrying.

"Just the backpack," Sydney said. "Which we will hang onto."

The pilot nodded. "Very well. If you'll just follow me." The pilot turned and walked up the stairs into the plane.

"Quite a day for you," Sydney said to Paige as they entered the plane's cabin. "First a helicopter and now a flight on a private jet, well a government version of a private jet."

Paige looked around at the plush seats and sofas that were arranged around the interior of the plane. "It beats coach, that's for sure."

Dixon took off his helmet and bulletproof vest. A flight attendant dressed in Air Force blues walked up. "I can secure those for you sir." Dixon passed over his gear and Paige and Sydney followed suit. "Once you strap in we can take off."

The attendant took their gear to the back of the plane while Sydney, Paige and Dixon sat down and buckled their seat belts. The attendant then approached Paige, who was sitting with the backpack perched on her lap. "If you want me to stow that for you as well I would be happy to."

"No I can't let this out of my sight," Paige said.

"That's not how the regulations go."

"That's how it's going to be," Sydney said. "You know who we work for." She raised an eyebrow, daring the attendant to contradict her.

"I'll, er, tell the pilot we're ready for takeoff." The attendant backed away from Sydney and into the cockpit.

Sydney leaned back in her seat and sighed. "My advice is to get some sleep. It's a long flight back to LA."

Paige looked out the window and watched the ground start to roll by as the plane taxied into position for takeoff. She tensed when she heard the engines spool up. The plane sped down the runway and quickly lifted off from the ground.

"We're approaching cruising altitude so feel free to move around the cabin," the pilot said over the intercom. Dixon unbuckled his seatbelt and stretched out on one of the sofas. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

"You did a fantastic job back there," Sydney told Paige. "Have you ever thought about making a career change?"

"What, become a spy?"

"Sure, why not? You're talented enough for it."

"Sydney if I wanted to be a spy I would have gone to work for parents."

"But that was your parents. Even you said they were bad people. If you come work with me you can help make the world a safer place."

"You know, that's the second time you've told me something like that."

Sydney face fell. "And the first time you said your mother told you the same thing. Paige I'm so sorry. I don't mean to sound like that." She chuckled. "That was how Sloane recruited me to join SD-6 as well. It's just that we're so similar. I think of you almost as a sister, which says more about me than you I know." She drew in a deep breath. "But it would be nice to have you around. That sounds silly and selfish when I say it out loud though."

Paige shook her head. "No I get that. I didn't see many other women around your office, or at least what little I saw of it."

"I can't lie, that also played a part in me asking."

"And you're right. It is nice to know someone who's gone through some of the same things I did, and I have always wanted a little sister."

Sydney eyed Paige. "Who are you calling little?" The question caused the two women to burst into giggles.

"Don't get me wrong, I want to make the world a better, safer place, but I don't think being a spy is the way to do it. Of course neither is my current job, so maybe the idealistic fifteen your old me is dead. One more victim of my parents."

"Hey, don't talk like that. If you don't want to be a spy then don't be a spy. It's as simple as that."

Paige smiled at Sydney. "Thanks for being so understanding."

"Don't mention it. I'm sorry I was being so pushy about you joining."

"You do still owe me that bottle of wine."

Sydney nudged Paige in the arm. "And you still owe me the story of you and Matthew Beeman, assuming the ending isn't too tragic."

Paige sighed and looked out the window. "No, he didn't die. I'll just need a lot of wine to get myself in a place to talk about him."

Sydney nodded her head. "I understand completely."

"So what about you and Agent Vaughn?"

"What about him?"

"Are you two, you know?" She motioned with her hands for Sydney to provide more details.

Sydney glanced down at her hands, letting her hair fall over her face. "Yes, we are," she said as she looked back up.

"You're allowed to do that?"

"Now that he's no longer my handler there aren't rules against it," Sydney said.

"You made a good choice, he is extremely good looking."

"He is, isn't he, and an all-around good guy too."

Paige leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. "That must be nice."

"Do you have anyone?"

"No, not for lack of trying. I just haven't found the right person yet."

"I've been lucky," Sydney said. "Granted, most of it was bad luck, but some good thrown in too."

"I can't even imagine having your fiancé murdered," Paige said.

"It was hard, but at least I could throw myself into my work. That gave me focus to ge through the hardest days, and now I have Michael. It's not quite the fairy-tale ending, but once I deal with my mother it will be close."

"What will you do after you capture your mother?"

"I haven't decided, although I was considering leaving the CIA."

"Let me get this straight, you were trying to get me to join the CIA even though you want to quit?" Paige asked. Her eyes shot open and she sat up straight.

Sydney hung her head. "That was thoughtless of me. I'm never going to apologize enough am I?"

"Not anytime soon at least," Paige said.

"I do mean it when I say I'm sorry, and I'm not going to be retiring anytime soon the way things are going," Sydney said.

"I'll think about it, because I would like to do some good. Maybe there's a way I could do both, work with you, but not in a way that makes me think I'm compromising who I am."

"If that's what you want I'm sure we could figure something out. There are a lot of analyst jobs after all," Sydney said. "But we can talk about that when we get back to LA."

Paige nodded her head. "Good, I can barely keep my eyes open." She stood up from her chair and curled up on the other open sofa. Within moments her eyes were closed and she was fast asleep. Sydney picked up the backpack that contained the Rambaldi artifact and stared at it before placing it on Paige's seat and closed her own eyes.

 **-Los Angeles**

Paige, Sydney and Dixon, along with Kendall, Jack, Marshall and Vaughn sat around a conference table with the chest taken from the monastery resting in the center of the table. "Do we know what it does?" Kendall asked the room.

"It stores things, uh sir," Marshall said. "The chest that is. It's just a chest, a very ornate chest."

Kendall leaned forward and laced his fingers together. "In that case, what is so special about what's in the chest?"

"No idea, we haven't opened it," Marshall said. "We were waiting for Sydney and Ms. Jennings."

"Are you sure it's safe to open it?" Vaughn asked.

"Oh sure, we scanned it for all kinds of nasty things and they call came up empty."

"I'm sure they did, but this is Rambaldi we're talking about Marshall. How do we know if there isn't some sort of trap we can't detect in there?"

"That's another reason for Ms. Jennings to be here," Marshall said. "She's the person who is supposed to open the chest according to the prophecy, so I figure there won't be any nasty surprises waiting for her in there."

Jack nodded his head. "That sounds reasonable."

Paige stood up and walked over to the chest. She rested her hands on the lid. "Are you sure you want to be in here when I open this?"

Sydney nodded her head. "Absolutely."

"Okay, here goes nothing." Paige reached down and placed her hands on the clasps sealing the chest. She took a deep breath then flipped them up. The lid of the chest swung open. "Oh," she said when she saw what the chest contained.

"What?" Marshall asked. "What's in there? Is there something really gross like a human heart?"

"No, it's a ball." Paige reached into the box and removed what looked to be a sphere of solid gold the approximate size of a baseball.

"That's some ball," Dixon said.

Paige held the orb up closer to her face. "There's writing on it."

Marshall stood up and took the orb out of Paige's hand. "It's incredibly fine writing," he said as he peered at the surface of the sphere. "And it looks to be written in some sort of cypher."

"Do you have any idea what it might be in reference to?" Kendall asked Marshall.

"No idea, it could take us years to interpret this, but I do love a good challenge." Marshall carefully placed the sphere back into the chest. "No time like the present to get started." He rubbed his hands together then picked up the open chest and walked out of the conference room.

"That felt anti-climactic," Paige said as she returned to her seat.

"That happens more often than you might think when it comes to Rambaldi," Sydney said. "At least we kept Irina from acquiring it."

"Thank goodness for small favors," Kendall said. "With that settled we need to turn our attention to another pressing matter of business."

"Would you like me to leave?" Paige asked.

"Since you are the business to discuss I'd rather you stayed Ms. Jennings," Kendall said.

Paige sunk back further into her chair. "Oh, what about me did you want to talk about?"

Kendall leaned forward in his seat. "For starters, what are we going to do with you?"

"That doesn't sound ominous at all," Paige said.

"We don't intend it to," Jack said. "Well, not entirely. You do know some of the most sensitive information in the country."

"I've kept secrets. I know how to keep secrets. Sydney said if I helped you get that orb then I would be safe."

"Ms. Jennings, Paige, calm down. We don't think you've done anything wrong," Jack said.

"You will of course have to sign confidentiality agreements regarding everything you've seen and done here," Kendall said. "And consent to additional, temporary, surveillance. For your protection of course."

"Of course," Paige said, then grimaced.

"There is another alternative," Jack said.

"Work for the CIA as a spy?" Paige asked. "Sydney already made that offer and I said no thank-you."

"I was thinking you could join my organization," Kendall said. "The FBI counter-espionage unit could use someone with your unique knowledge." He rested his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together.

"That was where Mr. Beeman worked, wasn't it?"

Kendall nodded his head. "It was, and I think Stan would approve of you working in his old department."

Paige fiddled with the sleeve of her shirt. "And what if I don't believe that? What if I think he would've wanted me to stay clear of this life because it's toxic? What if I just want to be boring Paige Jennings, project manager?"

"You are still an American citizen," Sydney said before Kendall had a chance to respond. "So that is perfectly within your rights."

"Agent Bristow is correct of course," Kendall said. "I'm not trying to conscript you Ms. Jennings. I'm trying to hire the best people to defend this country, and you are one of those people."

Paige pushed herself up from the table. "I'm honored that you think so, really I am, and I am grateful for the opportunity."

"But you're going to say no."

"I'm going to say no Mr. Kendall."

Kendall rapped his knuckles on the tabletop. "That's unfortunate, but your prerogative,"

Paige leaned across the table and held out her hand to Kendall. "Thank-you for the chance to be my parents, if only for a little while, but this isn't the life for me."

Kendall shook Paige's hand. "I'm sorry to hear that. If you ever change your mind the offer still stands."

"I'll keep that in mind, but don't hold your breath," Paige said to Kendall. She waved goodbye to the others then walked out of the conference room. The door had barely closed behind her when Paige heard Sydney call out of her name. "Sydney, I already told you," she said.

"I know you're not interested in being a spy, or an FBI agent. That's not why I'm here. First of all, I wanted to properly say goodbye, and secondly someone needs to escort you out of the building and get that lanyard back."

Paige's face reddened. "Oh right." They started to walk towards the exit when Paige looked over at Sydney. "There's one thing about this that's been bothering me."

"What's that?"

"How did you know to look for me?"

Sydney shrugged. "There was chatter that linked your parents to my mother. It seemed like a natural fit to start the investigation with you."

"But where was that chatter from?"

"That's not really my area of expertise, I was handed the intelligence and was told where to go. Why are you asking?"

Paige shook her head. "No reason, just curious, forget I said anything." They came to a stop in front of the elevator to the lobby. Paige leaned over and hugged Sydney. "You'll let me know if Marshall finds any leads on my parents?"

Sydney returned the hug. "You technically won't have the security clearance, but of course."

"And if you figure out what that orb does?"

Sydney pulled away from Paige. "If it involves you we'll be in touch, otherwise…"

"Otherwise I'm just another civilian is that it?"

"Something like that. Now if you worked for the government you could have the proper clearance to stay updated on all of this."

"I am perfectly okay with not knowing if it's all the same to you."

"I'm glad," Sydney said. The elevator door opened and Paige stepped inside. "And I haven't forgotten about that bottle of wine."

"I'll hold you to that," Paige said. "Oh right your lanyard." She tossed the lanyard to Sydney as the door closed in front of her. Sydney caught it and turned the ID badge over in her hand a few times before returning to work.

 **-Buenos Aires, Argentina**

Arvin Sloan slipped into the back seat of a black town car that was parked in front of his Argentine safe house. "To the airport," he said to the driver in English after he had shut the door.

"I'm sorry Arvin, but there's been a slight change of plan," Elizabeth Jennings said from beside him.

"Why Elizabeth, how nice to see you, or would you prefer Nadezhda?" Sloane asked

"Elizabeth is fine."

"You are looking as lovely as always. I must say retirement suits you. I'm guessing Phillip replaced my driver?"

Elizabeth reached into the pocket of the designer jacket she was wearing and withdrew a pistol. "You guess correctly. Now I get to ask the questions. You've heard about the setback Irina Derevko experienced in Slovakia correct?"

"That was your doing?" Sloane asked as he kept his attention on Elizabeth and not the pistol she was holding.

"Tangentially, we tipped off the CIA about our connection to Irina and Rambaldi, then let nature take its course."

"I never thought I would live to see the day where Elizabeth Jennings would lift a finger to help the United States. We are living in strange times indeed."

"The Soviet Union is dead, along with everything I fought for. This isn't about old ideologies, this is about the safety of my children."

"Your children don't concern me Elizabeth, just Rambaldi."

"And now they are no longer relevant to your little cult's obsession."

"Are you sure you and Phillip want to stay retired? You are both still extraordinary agents," Sloane said. "To get this close to me is remarkable."

"Tell the other followers of your deluded belief to leave our children alone. Next time we won't be in a talking mood." Elizabeth rapped on the glass partition separating the driver from the passengers. The car pulled to a stop and Elizabeth stepped out of the car. "Goodbye Arvin, for your sake you should hope we never see each other." She slammed the car door shut and walked off.

Sloane jerked slightly when the door next to him opened and he looked up to see Phillip Jennings standing over him. "Hello Arvin," Phillip said before he punched Arvin in the jaw. "Goodbye Arvin." Philip walked away from the car.

Sloane reached into his pocket and withdrew a cellphone. He selected a pre-programmed number and held the phone up to his ear. "Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings are back in play. We can proceed to the next stage." He returned the phone to his pocket then stepped out of the town car as a large, black SUV pulled up alongside. He got into the SUV and nodded at the member of his security detail behind the wheel. The SUV drove off towards the airport as Sloane looked out on the streets absent-mindedly rubbing his jaw.

-The End

 **-Author's Notes:** So that's Uncle Wally, the name comes from an Umphrey's McGee song that was used in an episode of Alias. I meant to have this published before the current season of The Americans aired but, well, I got busy with other things. The two shows are a natural for a crossover, and so it was fun to mash them together. I had several different ideas for the ending: Paige agrees to join the CIA, Paige agrees to join the CIA but is really working for her parents, and so on, but having Paige walk away felt more true to the character. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone enjoyed Uncle Wally.


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